Re:It's a copy (Score 1)

Just to expand on the notion of 'continuity' a little.

In a child post someone used an example of a computer, where over time each part is replaced, and then asked the question, is it the same computer?

Well, here's a more accurate way of presenting that question: 'Consciousness' is 'continuity' of your neural network. If we had the technology, we could replace individual neurons with artificial equivalents, and providing that the rest of the network continued to function as we did this you would remain alive, and the same person. If doing this caused death, you would be no longer.

Expanding this to the computer analogy: if you have a simulation of a neural network running on a computer, and could replace parts of the computer without ending the neural network, it would remain the same 'entity'. The hardware isn't all that important, but the software needs continuity.

However, this doesn't answer everything. With a computer we can store the contents of the RAM onto a hard-disk, transfer that disk to another computer, load the contents of the RAM back in and continue the simulation. But, we could also image the disk and continue running it in the original computer. We now have two simulations, so which one is the real one? Did the original continue to be 'alive' or not? If not, when did it 'die'?

These questions have been pondered in one form or another by philosophers for eons, and we're not going to be able to answer it on /..

Someone also mentioned the good old '21 Grams' myth (when you die you lose 21 grams of weight which is the soul). Well, Google it. It's completely without any scientific foundation.